


Death Watches Over

by OldGuardianNewTricks



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: As in actually dies, Death’s POV, F/F, Found Family, I don’t really know what this is., Joe and Nicky are the great lovers of history, M/M, Team as Family, but they all have a happy ending, everyone dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:35:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27506950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OldGuardianNewTricks/pseuds/OldGuardianNewTricks
Summary: Death embraces them and watches as the longest living lovers in history move on, to whatever comes next- step in step, hand in hand. Moving as one as they have done for so long.Death watches over The Old Guard as they die and rise again and again.Death greets them as they die for the final time.Permanent deaths for all the Guard- but a happy ending. I hope.
Relationships: Andy|Andromache of Scythia/Quynh|Noriko, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 6
Kudos: 104





	Death Watches Over

There are many certainties in this weird, ever changing and ever evolving world. Civilisations rise and fall. Inventions are created and discarded in favour of new and better ones. Ideas come and go. Wars are fought and won and lost. 

People will always be born and people will always die. Death knows this. Death is neither male nor female. Death is neither young nor old. Death has no country for all countries are theirs. Death is a being like no other-understanding their role but not knowing why they are tasked with it. Death has seen many things in their long existence-watched mortals killing each other over and over again in fierce wars, fought for reasons the people dying often don’t understand. Hatred and rage spilling out with blood. Sorrow and anger sown for generations to come. Death has seen mortals die of great old age and at no age at all. 

Yes, all must die. 

But, rules are made to be broken and there are some exceptional humans who defy Death. When it first happened Death was shocked for here was a mortal cut down by Death who rose again. The mortal wandered the world alone and lost for such a long time. She ‘died’ over and over again but always rose. She was a warrior, worshipped as a god for some time but Death saw her loneliness and had Death had a heart it may have ached. 

Over time Andromache was joined by Quynh and later still by Lykon. Death followed them, came to them when they died only to watch them rise again and again. 

When Lykon died for the final time Death was taken aback. Their immortality could end and had ended. Lykon simply smiled

“It was my time.”

Andromache and Quynh continued to fight for what they believed was right. But they both missed their brother.

Death could not, contrary to belief, be everywhere at once. There were spectres-shades of Death who assisted in their onerous task. But Death them-self always attended to Andromache and Quynh. 

Death was called to a battle being fought at Jerusalem. They called it a war but Death could see it for the invasion that it truly was. Death was angry, yet more fighting, so many souls lost. And then in the midst of so much horror, they were drawn towards two who were shining in their wrath. Perfectly matched these two were, so perfectly matched that they fell within seconds of each other. Death went to collect their souls but as they rose to face Death they shimmered and returned to their bodies. 

They fought again and again. They died again and again. Death grew angry with them, they promised to cease the endless fighting. But once returned to life they could not remember. Still they fought, still they died. Killing each other, waiting for the other to revive.

Time passed as time must pass and a truce was eventually forged between Yusuf and Nicoló. An uneasy one at first. And then a friendship was seeded and tended to carefully and from that friendship grew love. A love that continued to bloom through the centuries. 

And Death saw that Yusuf’s soul was linked to Nicoló’s with a golden thread like chain, invisible to all but Death. And Nicoló’s soul was joined to Yusuf’s with a silver thread like chain. And Death was sure, as sure as they had ever been about anything, that even they could not part these two. And Death was glad for in all of humanity there had never been a love so pure, so strong and so true.

Time passes and the unthinkable happens. Bright, brave Quynh is taken. Ripped from this little family. Death attends her and if Death had a heart it would break. This is horror. This is an unthinkable torment. Death, all powerful Death can do nothing. Death tries to keep Quynh with them for as long as possible each time she dies but even that is mere moments. Death tries to comfort her. Death, for the first time, questions the reason behind their immortality. And having no answer, rages at it. 

Death watches.

Death watches Quynh die and die and die.

Death watches Andromache as she fades. Existing but not living. 

Death finds a new immortal in 1812. Sebastien has a family who die as most mortals must and Death takes them one by one. Every time Sebastien dies he pleads with Death to keep him. But Death can no more keep Sebastien than they can save Quynh. 

And Death watches.

Death watches as the Guard save many. And Death is impressed by their work and is not bitter that they are keeping souls from them. 

And Death watches as Joe and Nicky- love each other harder and sweeter with every passing year. Each of them begging to return to the other as soon as Death reaches them. And Death cannot refuse- but if they could they wouldn’t- these two souls are truly one split in two. 

And Death watches as Booker becomes more desperate to die. And betrays the very family he loves because of his grief. 

And a new immortal is re-born. Nile Freeman. And Death sees her shine brighter than any they have seen. 

And Death comes to Joe and Nicky in that cold lab. And as they die and revive again and again Death stays with them. Hovering, but unable to give comfort. Death sees Nicky brutally shot by Keane- the gun forced between lips that have spoken kindnesses for hundreds of years. Sees Joe’s fear manifest over Nicky’s corpse and Death roars with Joe. Not for the first time Death lays a gentle hand on Nicky’s shoulder and says

“Not this time.”

And when Joe snaps Keane’s neck Death is ready. Death rips Keane’s soul from the world and hisses 

“He’s right, you shouldn’t have done that.”

When Quynh’s coffin finally rusts Death stays near as she fights to stay afloat. They can not prevent her dying but they can stay at her side. 

The Guard are whole again. Sebastien is brought back from exile in months not years. And Nile brings him back to life in a way he has not been since his first death. 

Andromache dies after being hit by a car. Death is angry- what kind of death is that for this hero. But, as Death takes her hand she shimmers

“But!”

Says Andy

“Go sweet one”

And if Death could smile they would smile at the the joy and amazement in the Guard’s faces as they watch Andy rise again.

Through famine, war and changing climates Death watches the Guard move on. Dying and rising. 

It is Nicky who dies first. A bullet to the stomach that bleeds without stopping. Joe howls in grief as he holds Nicky in his arms. Nicky places a bloody hand on Joe’s face and soothes him as only he can. The rest of the Guard are running and Death uses all their power to hold back on taking Nicky until they get there. They cuddle and pet Nicky who smiles weakly, tells them how he loves them and then eyes on Joe, only Joe he takes a long shuddering breath. Death takes his hand and Nicky dies for the final time. 

Nicky stands next to Death. Weeping for his family, heart breaking for Joe. Death places a heavy hand on Nicky’s shoulder and points at Joe and Nicky realises that his love has slumped in Nile’s arms. Death reaches out and Joe is with them. The chains that run between the lovers clink once and settle. 

Death embraces them and watches as the longest living lovers in history move on, to whatever comes next- step in step, hand in hand. Moving as one as they have done for so long.

Quynh and Andy die together. It is 178 years after Joe and Nicky. There is a terrible storm which brings down buildings. Andy and Quynh save hundreds of people but are trapped. They die wrapped in each other’s arms. They greet Death as an old friend and watch in tears as Nile and Booker rush to free their bodies. Just as Joe and Nicky before them Andy and Quynh move on together arms wrapped around each other’s waists. 

Death attends to Booker and Nile. They fight on in the names of Lykon who they only know from the other’s tales. They fight in the spirit of Andy and Quynh and with the hearts of Joe and Nicky. 

They lose their immortality within hours of each other. Booker gets a paper cut, Nile gets a blister out on training run. They weep together- not frightened but relieved neither will be left behind alone.

It is a child trafficking ring that sees their final deaths. All children are rescued, traumatised but safe now. They take out all the gang but are killed by a grenade lobbed at them by a man Booker had shot in the thigh. 

Death comes for them and they take Death’s hands willingly. They have fought for so long and they are both tired, so very tired. Death watches as they hug each other and then Death turns and from the distance figures are running, running at full pelt. Joe and Nicky, Andy and Quynh and Lykon. Hugs are shared, tears are shed, laughter echoes around Death as this extraordinary group are reunited. 

One by one each of them embraces Death before they link hands and move as one to the next adventure- together as they were always meant to be. 

And Death feels a gentle warmth lick through them. 

Death feels joy and peace.

And on Earth Death watches as a young woman dies briefly only to rise again.

And for the first time in all of history Death laughs.

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t really know what this was but it seeded in my brain. 
> 
> Hope you ‘enjoyed’?


End file.
